Snuffle What?

I was scrolling through a FB group the other day and kept seeing snuffle mats mentioned. These mats are like extreme samples of 70's shag carpet. The object is to hide tiny bits of food inside so dogs have to root around to get the tidbits. It engages a dog's nose and brain by mimicking hunting for food in the wild. Apparently dogs really enjoy it.

I was intrigued. And I wanted one. Like any other American girl, I searched "snuffle mat" on Amazon. They averaged $30-40 each. Uh, no. Then I Googled "DIY Snuffle Mat" and found step-by-step instructions from The Honest Kitchen. Much better! I was able to make my own snuffle mat for $10. I ordered the sink mats from Amazon (two for $8) and bought 1.5 yards of cheap fleece from Walmart.

Before

After

Trooper was happy with the results. If you want to make your own, print out the instructions from the link above. But first, here are a few tips from me:

• Get the thin fleece. Your running four strips per hole. It gets tight! My finger tips still hurt from all the shoving and pulling.
• Tight knots will give you more room in the little holes.
• Go with one color/pattern of fabric. I had plans of making a fun pattern using 3 different fabrics. You can't tell, and I spent way too much time on it.
• Get a rotary cutter! I lost count of how many strips I cut, but it was well over 600 for a small, 11" X 12.5" mat.

Canine Enrichment is the fancy smanchy term for "working your dog's brain so he doesn't get bored and destroy your stuff." In the past few years it's become a thing. There are books, videos, online classes and Facebook Groups dedicated to this. It's a good time to be a dog.

I've been doing -- and sharing -- enrichment activities for years.(What can I say? I like my stuff unchewed.) I recently gathered some of my favorite posts and made an enrichment page for the blog. Click on the tab above to see 20+ different fun and cheap enrichment activities. Enjoy! -- K

Rat Tubes

The Barn Hunt Association is very strict about how rats are handled at trials. Rat Wranglers are put into place to make sure that all rats are treated humanely. Their comfort, safety and well-being are paramount. The official rules even have specific instructions on how to make authorized dog-proof rat tubes -- with pictures! See:

To practice at home, we needed tubes. One Sunday morning I printed out the instructions and went to work. Hubby went to Lowe's. He sent me pictures throughout the day of his progress. 

Cut and glued

After drilling 156 holes!

The good news is that the instructions are clear and detailed, and the construction is fairly easy. The bad news is, they're not cheap. Hubby bought the stuff to make four tubes. Here's the breakdown of the cost, including his 10% military discount.

• four 10" sections of solid core schedule 40 PVC pipe, 4" diameter [he ended up buying two 2' pipes] ($12.80)
• four 4" PVC clean-out snap in drain caps ($11.24)
• four 4" female adapters
• four 4" PVC cleanout plugs ($20.40)
• clear PVC cement ($9.88)
• two colors of spray paint to camouflage tubes ($7.07)

The grand total for this project was $61.39 plus tax. (This does not include a 3/16" drill bit and sandpaper. You'll need them as well.) Here's the finished product:

Looking good, huh? Now we need to introduce Hide to the tubes. I'll keep you posted! -- K

Rally . . . Oh?

We're a month into our dog training classes. Our trainer has us doing rally turns and circles. She says that they keep our dogs on their toes, naturally forcing them to pay attention. It helps, because Jedi likes to forge ahead. (BTW, "forge" is a euphemism for "Pull like a freakin' sled dog.") So far we've worked on:

• Left and Right Turns -- These are exactly what you think. 90° and should be crisp. My boot camp training is kicking in!
• About Turns -- These are 180°, always turning to the right. When walking on a straight line the handler should turn around and walk back on the same line. (We practice these in parking lots.)
• U-Turns -- These are wider turns, and always to the left. We turn into the dog. When walking the straight line above, the dog should walk back on the line.
• 270° Turns -- These can go to the left or to the right and they are confusing! 270 degrees is 3/4 of a circle. It's best to imagine you're on a traffic circle -- and try not to get dizzy!

Fortunately, I don't have to remember everything. There are signs along the course. I've looked online and I can buy signs and holders, but they are more than I want to pay right now. Apparently, I'm not the only cheap frugal dog person out there. I found a place where I can download signs for free here. And Marie over at K-9 Dog Training Solutions has DIY rally sign holder instructions here.

We're having a great time walking in circles. I'll share more later. -- K

DIY Cavaletti

Jedi drags his rear feet. It's something that I'm hoping we can fix in Body Awareness and Targeting class. I had a friend suggest using cavaletti. They are small jumps used to strengthen muscles and adjust stride in horses. Apparently there are dog versions too. I was really excited until I saw how much they cost. The average price was $50 for a set of three, and everything I read said at least five cavaletti are needed to be effective. ugh. I found some plans on the internet to make your own cavaletti as well, but most of those required skills and tools that I just don't have. But then . . .

I was surfing the internet on my phone and saw a picture that made me squeal with delight -- Dollar Store Cavaletti! (I have never been able to find it again to give credit where credit is due.) Here's what I came up with based on what I remember:

• I found these bright little baskets for $1 each. I bought a dozen.
• I had some 1/2" PVC left over from a home improvement project. I cut it into six 48" pieces.
• I bought a roll of fancy tape for $2 at Wal-Mart to decorate the PVC -- just because.

Assembly is super easy: Run a PVC piece through the middle holes of two baskets to make hurdles a.k.a. cavaletti. (Use higher or lower holes to increase/decrease the difficulty level.) Spread the baskets far enough apart that your dog can walk through them comfortably.

Cavaletti should be spaced shoulder height apart. I had an extra piece of PVC that I held up to Jedi and marked at the withers (the highest point behind the neck). I taped that spot and used the pole to measure the distance between cavaletti. Then I ran Jedi through.

 

Did he knock them down? You betcha! The fifth and sixth one were knocked over every time. But it didn't scare him and he willingly ran through again and again. And when we were done everything disassembled easily and takes hardly any room to store. Score!

 

What do you think? Do you have any fun crafty things? Let me know! -- K

 

P.S. Like the idea of going cheap? Check out my recycled perch and ghetto travel plank here.

New Class is Lots of Fun

Jedi and I are now taking class twice a week. Because of the crappy weather last month, our Saturday morning classes were pushed back a few weeks. Graduation is next weekend. The instructor promises it'll be lots of fun. I have hubby coming to take pictures, so hopefully I can share next week.

 

Meanwhile, K-9 Obedience Club is offering a new Body Awareness and Targeting class on Thursdays and we were fortunate enough to get in. (There are two full classes plus a waiting list.) This class is being taught by an agility competitor -- instead of an obedience competitor -- and the atmosphere of the class is very different. Much like her border collie, the instructor is focused, animated and full of energy. Instructor believes in building confidence and giving lots a rewards -- to both canine and human students. In an hour and a half Jedi probably ate two cups of diced chicken and I had a handful of Tootsie Rolls!

 

My perfect perch!

We're doing some rear end exercises where Jedi pivots his back end with his front feet staying on a fixed marker called a perch. We've done something like this before and I always had a hard time finding the right perch. My Star Puppy instructor had us use a book. We did, but it was odd shaped and slippery, which made Jedi uncomfortable. I had another instructor who used round pavers. These were better. I liked the shape but they were low to the ground and awfully heavy to tote around. This instructor sent an email before class started and suggested using a hard plastic dog bowl. That was my eureka moment. For starters, I had one of those! I have no idea where it came from and I have almost thrown it out two or three times. I'm glad I didn't. It's perfect: it's the right height, it's lightweight yet strong enough to support Jedi, it's round, and it's portable.

 

Another thing we're doing in class is using ladders lying on the ground to help teach the dogs foot placement. I've got one of those too, so we're do this at home. Jedi's still a bit leery so we're walking across it the short way for now. Remember, it's all about confidence building! It's funny though, I put it on the ground and he'll run right up to it, tail wagging. He knows that if he walks through it he gets a treat.

 

It's ugly but it works!

Instructor also had this thing in class called a travel plank. Have you heard of this? It's just a flat board raised about 4 inches off the ground. Instructor says she's got about 20 different exercises we could do with it, but for now we're just teaching the dogs to walk across it. You wouldn't think the dogs would freak out over it -- and you would be wrong. Instructor said you can buy some fancy shmancy travel planks online ($80! I looked), or you can go the cheap route and build your own. I chose cheap. Hubby and I went to Home Depot and bought a 1' X 4' piece of shelving, a 2" X 4" post and a box of screws. Voila! We made our own travel plank for less than $10. (The shelf had a slippery finish. I lightly sanded it and stuck on those non-skid bathtub thingies. It's ugly, but it works.)

 

As you can see, we've been a bit busy. Wednesday night conformation classes started up a few weeks ago and I've been meaning to go, but . . . I've been so overwhelmed with work and the training classes we already have that I haven't been able to find a time. I hope to start back up soon though. But not this Wednesday, I have something fun going on. (I'll share later.)

 

Anyway, enough blogging! I have to get back to Jedi. We're supposed to have a special trick for graduation and it's not going as well as I would like. I'm trying to get him to do a full circle while standing on the bowl, but he seems to get hung up halfway round. *sigh* We have four days to figure this out. Wish us luck! -- K

Dog Show Survival Kit

I say it all the time -- I am not crafty. So when I see simple, doable things my brain screams in delight. And if they're clever and creative as well, I just go bananas. My most recent banana-find is a DIY Dog Show Survival Kit over at Corgi Pants (my latest OMG blog). Not only does she neatly fit two dozen must-haves into a standard pencil box, but her explanations of what and why will have you rolling. See the box? Follow the link for instructions.

 

Got your shopping list? Then go! See you at Wal-mart. -- K

 



Word Art

For the Pet Blogger's Gift Exchange last month bloggers got to know each other and then shared their new friends with everybody. It was great! I had the privilege of being paired up with Jozi the Corgi and the Pussycats. I wrote a Top 10 post that encouraged everybody to meet them here. If you haven't checked them out, do it now. I'll wait.

 

Wasn't that fun? I enjoyed Jozi's pictures so much that I shared them again here. Seriously, isn't Jozi in the Santa hat just the cutest thing you've ever seen?

 

Cat wrote a really nice post about me here. It's interesting to see what somebody else gets out of your blog. Kind of scary too. I was touched by her kind words. But then she sent this:

 

 

OMG! How awesome is this?! I'm speechless. I love it. And I had to share it -- but not before I sent it to Walgreens to have it blown up, printed on glossy paper and framed. I might even turn it into a mouse pad. Or a coffee mug. Or both! I'm so overwhelmed. What creative things would you do with it? -- K

GSD Jack-O-Lanterns

Hubby LOVES Halloween. Last year he went all out with the decorations. He did even better this year. The graveyard has stage lighting, strobes, hidden speakers and a fog machine -- all remotely operated. The neighbors have been checking it out all week. Son #2, Girlfriend and I had fun with the pumpkins. I carved two German shepherd themed pumpkins. Hubby calls this one "The Hell Hound":

Click here for pattern.

And this one turned out better than I thought it would:

Click here for pattern.

Patterns for both of these are on the Internet, just in case you want German shepherd Jack-O-Lanterns too.The second pattern involved LOTS of shaving and took hours to complete. If you attempt it, make sure you have the right tools!

The kids did these two:

Yes, that is the Death Star on the right (I love my kids!) There's also a Pikachu pumpkin, but I couldn't get a good picture. How about you? Did you do anything fun for All Hallow's Eve? Do share! -- K

 

 

Tug Toys

Psychedelic fleece

Truth be told, I AM NOT a crafty person. My mother quilts, sews, bakes, knits, tats and crochets. She is also quite adept at cake decorating, origami, decoupage and ceramics. I have no idea what happened to me. Anyway, when I see a fun but simple craft that I can do, I get really excited. My latest find: no-sew tug toys. (Actually, I didn't "find" it, Erin over the Five Dog Blog did.)

I bought a yard of bright fleece (on sale -- score!) and with some measuring, cutting and braiding I created a tug toy that Jedi actually likes. Unlike his rope toys, this one is soft and machine washable. And it doesn't hurt so much when he starts flinging it around. YEA!

Are you inspired yet? If you follow the directions in Erin's blog you can make one too. My only advice: keep your braids tight and anchor your loop. Erin used a chair. I'm not as classy; I used my big toe.

I'm so stoked by my success that I'm wondering what other crafty things I can do. Mom would be so proud. -- K